Cody Utzman Founder/Owner

Cody has been cooking since he was 8 years old—when he staged a family Thanksgiving feast behind the curtain he attached to the kitchen doorway.

His experience includes serving as Head Chef at an Alaskan backcountry fishing lodge, Private Chef for the rich and famous (and his friends and family), and Executive chef and co-owner of several local establishments.

He has served whole foods and sushi menus at retreats, haute French cuisine at the fanciest parties, and Mexican street food at his “Papacitos” restaurant in Brooklyn.The list is long, but just ask, and he’ll whip up any kind of food you’d like.

Cody grew up in California and Oregon, but has travelled all over for chef jobs—both long and short term-- and he has made the east coast his home now for 10 years.

Cody’s passion and impulse is food. He is talented in both making it and getting it to people. Through a variety of businesses, his aim is to feed Brooklyn with the best of New York’s local products—whether he is serving them up in a dish, or retailing them at a market.

Kathleen Rose McEldowney / Owner

Kathleen McEldowney is a native of Flatbush, the heart of Brooklyn. At twenty she left her studies of Political Science and Sociology at Ithaca College and discovered her obsessive love of travel and her niche working in the high-energy environments of bars and restaurants. Kathleen is a "total foodie", passionate about flavor and texture, naturally enthusiastic about sharing her gourmet discoveries. A woman well versed in international cuisine, she is dedicated to offering high quality products and service to her customers. In 2002 she moved to Greenpoint and returned to her studies at Hunter College. Either due to the inability to overcoming her fear of working in an office, the lack of desire to give up the fast paced rhythm of the service industry or the realization that she would never morph into the pterodactyl she had been hoping to become, Kat continued to work in restaurants. With 12 years experience behind her, Kat has run small businesses and multi-million dollar establishments participating fully in the operations. Co-owner and operator of Papacitos on Manhattan Ave, Kat has enjoyed the positive feedback and support of her neighborhood. She is proud to join with Cody Utzman once again bringing you their newest creation: The Standard. With The Standard Kat is excited to bridge her professional and intellectual interests, providing exceptional quality food and service while framing it in a broader social context. She is even happier to be doing this here in Brooklyn, the best place in earth.

Matt Milletto Partner and Coffee Guru

Matt grew up drinking coffee out of a bottle, and his passion for excellent coffee and a sustainable industry is known around the world. He has been quoted and written about in the Wall St. Journal, New York Times and countless other publications on his knowledge of the specialty coffee retail industry and his entrepreneurship. He is the director of training at the American Barista & Coffee School as well as the founder of www.baristaexchange.com, the worlds leading community website for the specialty coffee industry. He has worked in retail coffee for the past 15 years and along with his parent company, Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, has helped assist with the openings and training of hundreds of coffee retail operations worldwide. He has also worked multiple position in the restaurant industry from server to bartender and has a devoutness for quality in all areas of food service.

Matt lives in sleepy yet coffee fueled, Portland, OR with his wife and miniature dachshund. He has collaborated on many local projects from high end coffee to taco trucks. Between french presses, he can be found tinkering on his 1962 Buick or in the backroom of mid century furniture warehouses around Portland. Matt is also a huge supporter of locally grown food and community assisted agriculture and is the co-founder of the website www.localgro.com